Kentucky AD Mitch Barnhart weighs in on recent success from Mark Stoops
By Jacob Moss
Published:
It’s been a very rough season for the Kentucky Wildcats‘ football program in 2025, with the team currently sitting at 4-5 overall and just 2-5 in SEC play with 3 games to go in the regular season.
Longtime Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has taken a ton of flak over the course of the campaign for his team’s lackluster performance on the field, with many fans and pundits starting to question whether or not he is still the right man for the job up in Lexington.
Through all of the struggles Stoops’ squad has endured over the course of this season, he’s maintained the support of Kentucky Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart, who recently reiterated his belief in Stoops during a meeting with boosters, per On3’s Nick Roush.
“Sometimes when you struggle a bit, you’re working your way back up the mountain, you take steps, and we’re taking steps,” said Barnhart. “We just want to continue to take steps… “For a decade plus, he and I’ve been together. We’ve journeyed this thing before, and you know, we’ve been together a long time. He loves Kentucky, and we love him, and we just want to keep making progress and doing what we’re doing.”
Having the backing of the man at the top of the Athletic Department is certainly as massive boost for Stoops, but he’s still going to have to find a way to get things back on track in 2026.
If Wildcats’ put up losing results in back-to-back campaigns, then it’s very likely that Barnhart ends up singing a very different tune at the end of next season. But for now, Kentucky rides a 2-game winning streak into a tricky Week 12 matchup against undefeated FCS foe Tennessee Tech.
